Pillow Fights for the Pros

Jan. 18, 2007 — -- Sporting names like Betty Clock-er, Digit Jones and Persian Princess, and tipping the scales at approximately 120 pounds and 5 feet 5 inches, the female fighters of the Toronto-based Pillow Fight League aren't particularly intimidating upon first glance.

But, clad in short skirts, clingy leggings, midriff-bearing tank tops, and armed solely with a pillow, though, these fighters are a mystifying melange of sex appeal and strength.

"We have all the spectacle of professional wrestling," said pillow fighter/referee Sarah Bellum, "but our matches aren't choreographed or predetermined. Our fights are real."

The Pillow Fight League was founded in February 2004 by 38-year-old T-shirt printer/musician Stacey P. Case.

It started with a few mats on a stage, and since then the PFL has evolved into a full-blown sport with a stable of fighters and a dedicated and growing fan base.

As they begin a three-month international tour with stops in New York City; Austin, Texas; Windsor, Ontario-Detroit, Mich.; they are finding that the sight of women pummeling each other with pillows attracts a crowd.

"It's our first official fight outside of Toronto," Bellum said.

So far, they have sold out a venue in Brooklyn, N.Y., and added events to accommodate the demand.

The PFL is an entertainment sport, but don't brush it off as some fake, powder-puff version of the World Wrestling Entertainment.

There are no smoke and mirrors, phantom punches or scripted wins, but there are rules: no men, no hair-pulling, eye-gouging, lewd behavior or "pillow-loading," a PFL term for stuffing your pillow with hard objects like books or bricks.

"Every attack must incorporate the pillow somehow," Bellum said.

Fighters can win the old-fashioned way by pinning their opponent for three seconds or by forcing them to submit. They can also win by using the "smother approach," a maneuver exclusive to pillow fighting that involves wrapping the pillow around your opponent's face until they give in.